What happened to 'American Idol'?

'American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest loves to boast to viewers about the millions of votes they cast or the dozens of hit records that the show's alumni have produced.

But there is one statistic we are unlikely to hear Seacrest crowing about this season: the ratings.

"American Idol," the nation's No. 1 TV show for a record eight consecutive years, is watching its popularity skid downhill in its 12th season.

It's not simply that the Fox series is not No. 1 any longer – that streak ended in 2011. Today, "American Idol" isn't even the No. 1 show on Thursday nights, and – perhaps worst of all – it now trails NBC's "The Voice" for the title of America's favorite singing competition.

After a long, slow decline, the ratings for "American Idol" have cratered, particularly among younger viewers, falling to levels not seen since the summer of 2002, when the show was being introduced to America.

Last Wednesday, the Top 7 performance episode drew about 11.8 million viewers, down 30 percent from last year's Top 7 show and barely half of the corresponding week in Season 10. The previous night, "The Voice" had pulled in 13.9 million viewers. More importantly to the networks, "The Voice" drew nearly 50 percent more adult viewers under 50 – the demographic group that advertisers prefer.

Of course, "American Idol" remains a success by most measures. It is still a Top 10 show, and by far the biggest for Fox. But by its own record-setting standards, this season is scraping bottom.

What has caused the plunge? There are several reasons. One is simply age. After 12 years, "American Idol" has grown a bit stale. The producers have tried a few changes this season, notably bringing in a new set of judges, but the essential formula remains – and so do the songs, the same few dozen repeated over and over, most predating the singers.

"Singing cheesy karaoke standards on a stage with the promise of a record deal may have seemed interesting 10 years ago, but what are you doing now to hold my interest and keep it fresh?" asked Dave Della Terza, a veteran "Idol" watcher and creator of the tongue-in-cheek fan site Vote for the Worst.

"When you pick a Top 10 with singers like Kree Harrison or Curtis Finch Jr., who have no relevance to the music industry today, and have them sing songs that are three times as old as they are, people are eventually going to tune out."

"The themes this season have been terrible, filled with repurposed and moldy song choices," Santilli said. "The Beatles, Motown, Bacharach-David: been there, done that. Allow the kids to sing songs from this century at least! A mix of the old and the new would be best."

"American Idol" tends to look even more aged next to the shiny new bauble over at NBC.

"The Voice" began life just two years ago, coming into the scene with a quartet of celebrity coaches, not judges, and a more modern musical touch. Boosted by a huge audience after last year's Super Bowl, "The Voice" has grown into a solid Top 10 hit.

Although it has failed to launch the massive musical careers that "Idol" has, "The Voice" right now is the more successful TV show.

"'The Voice' has judges that seem to actually care about the contestants, unlike Mariah Carey, who is more concerned with wearing a tight dress than giving a standing ovation," Della Terza said. "Although no one from 'The Voice' will probably ever go on to have a successful music career either, everyone just seems like they're having so much fun on the show and that translates through the TV."

Santilli concurs. "They do some things right," she said. "The contestant song choices are varied. You can hear everything from Elvis Presley to Rihanna. The blind auditions are really entertaining, mostly due to the coaches, who have fantastic chemistry and are fun to watch."

"American Idol" has contributed to its own troubles this season with an uncharacteristic error in judgment.

A chief reason the show has succeeded is that the viewers get to decide who wins, and the previous five seasons, they decided they wanted a good-looking guy with an aw-shucks demeanor but a bit of musical imagination – a type the Internet wags dubbed the WGWG: white guy with guitar.

This year, the judges and producers decided to put an end to the streak and do what they could to make sure the winner would be female. Many more women got invitations to Hollywood. The judges declared that they thought a woman would win at every opportunity. And most significantly, when it came time for the fans to start voting, there wasn't a WGWG in sight.

"Sure, the parade of male winners ... is predictable," Santilli said. "But, if it required casting the weakest guys the producers could find to prop up the girls, was it worth it? The cast is full of cannon fodder this season, and it's been boring watching the weakest singers get picked off one by one."

Young people (under 29) looking for a break ("Idol"). Mostly veterans seeking a second (or third) shot ("Voice"). There's a reason "The Voice" singers didn't catch on the first time. Advantage: "American Idol."

AUDITIONS

Held around the country, a mix of good and bad singers ("Idol"). Good singers in blind, studio auditions ("Voice"). The revolving chairs rule. Advantage: "The Voice."

MIDDLE ROUNDS

Chaotic "Hollywood Week" followed by live sing-offs ("Idol"). Strange head-to-head duets and showdowns ("Voice"). Both are problematic, but nothing is worse than The Battle Rounds. Advantage: "American Idol."

FINALS

Week-by-week winnowing ("Idol"). Week-by-week winnowing ("Voice"). The longer, more dramatic "AI" process or the superior music of "The Voice"? Advantage: A draw.

This is the worst season, but "American Idol" remains a fun platform for launching stars. "The Voice" is all about the judges; the singers are simply the vehicle for their contest. Advantage: "American Idol."